wake
by morimori-mori
Summary: It's the fifth day before Sasuke's execution when Naruto visits. oneshot, AU.


It's the fifth day before your execution when Naruto visits you.

You don't hear him arguing with the ANBU guards before he bursts into the room in the expected loud fashion- you suppose that he must've gotten clearance from the Godaime to visit you. That's rather expected- from what you can remember, he's on rather good terms with the old slug Sannin, and you suppose that she must've granted the dobe clearance or something. It only makes sense.

Naruto's pissed, of course, and he spends the entire time calling you stupid for being so resigned to your fate. You can only respond back that he must be stupid too, because Naruto- heh, Naruto of all people should be clambering for your death. But the blonde only gets more riled up at that; you're confused for a moment on whether or not the dobe's berating you or defending you. After all, you _did_ come back to Konoha, right? Sure, Sakura and he had to literally drag your ass back, but that was only minor details, right?

You scoff at that, and take to informing Naruto that you'd kill him right then and there if there weren't chakra bracers keeping him in a horribly tired state and there weren't at least ten ANBU ready and willing to kill you as soon as you'd make a lunge at the blonde.

Naruto puts on a strange face at this, and thankfully leaves after a few minutes, leaving you to bask in the quiet solitude of your final days.

........

On the fourth day, Naruto's back.

He arrives without commotion from outside again, although you find it perhaps beginning to be curious that he keeps this silence. He takes up a spot on the floor next to your bed, sitting there without movement besides the idle twiddling of his necklace between his fingers. It's a rather stupid little charm- very unbecoming of a young man like Naruto, and it only takes you half an hour of silence before you break it with telling him so.

This insult thankfully restores the normal dynamic of you two, with Naruto instantly sputtering angrily about the importance and significance and reverence of his dumb trinket. This tirade eventually evolves, however, and soon you're listening to a repeat performance of yesterday's rant about your idiocy that you didn't really want to hear. You tell him this, to only get the retort that it's deserved because he doesn't really think that it had sunk in the other day.

Eventually Naruto's voice becomes one with the rain- it hasn't stopped since you were brought back to Konohagakure- and you think it's almost rather nice, really. White noise. You begin to drift off to sleep, but Naruto's scowling and yelling into your ear prevents that- _okay, maybe not so nice._ You go to swat at the boy with a lazy fist, even though there's the chance you'll be taken down by the guards outside- but the blonde jumps out of the way and sticks his tongue out at you, apparently expecting your blow.

You turn over on the bed, eyes focusing lazily on the blank wall infront of you, and eventually the room sinks into silence once again- but it's almost not stifling this time.

........

Naruto doesn't visit on the third day, and you assure yourself that you don't miss him.

........

He's there on the second day, though, although he climbs through the window this time- _ah,_ you suppose to yourself quietly, _they must not be allowing visitors anymore._ That'd explain why the blonde was the only one he'd seen so far; then again, he doubted he was very popular in town anymore. Betraying everyone and running off with enemy number one was a good way to become despised, you think.

And yet Naruto's back- it's half amazing and half moronic, you think, how unabashedly loyal this guy is. Although once he starts to tell you you're stupid you manage to forget that- _how unabashedly annoying_.

He goes on for an hour or two before you muster up the energy to tell that god damned _usuratonkachi_ to shut up, which he manages to do for only about five minutes- definitely not a return for your efforts, you think bitterly. When he speaks, however, it's not about you, for once- instead it seems Naruto's resorted to the most bland of all topics ever, the weather. It's made especially bland by the fact that it's still raining, which you take to pointing out to him.

He cracks an odd smile at it. "You don't suppose they're crying for you, do you, Sasuke?"

You don't smile back. No one is crying for you, after all, and you take to telling the blonde this. This is your punishment for being foolish- only what you deserve. To want more than this would be greed.

This angers him, predictably- although there's a sick expression on his face that you wish you could erase from your mind, too. "_Bastard_," he swears distraughtedly, "I don't want you to die!"

But there's no denying that you deserve it, right?

"I don't _care,_ you... you shouldn't die! This isn't how it's supposed to be, you're supposed to come home now-" Well, you are home, right? "But not to die!" You scoff at this- on the bright side, at least you won't ever be leaving again, right? "_You fucking asshole._"

Naruto storms out of the room at that note, out into the storm that's raging outside and most definitely not inside your chest.

........

To your surprise and a bit of dread, Sakura comes and visits on the last day. She's looking rather like shit, like she hadn't slept well in a few days, and she stammers out something about not being able to visit until now- problems clearing with the Hokage, it seems, or at least that's what she tells your turned back.

You don't bother turning over to face her- you don't want to see her face now, because it's too much of a sign of how things have changed, how you're really just a day now from death. Your voice tries to take on a cruel tone as you address your former teammate, but it comes out empty and bland- your words themselves are biting enough, though, as you mention that the pink-haired girl must've not been trying hard enough.

There's the slight rustling noise of what must be her shaking her head, followed by a choked sound- that gets you to turn over, and you observe with heavy eyes as Sakura stands there, crying. It's a rather unbecoming sight, and you wish to tell her that, or at least inform her that she's annoying- but you find yourself blocked by something in your throat. Instead you merely watch until her tear ducts run out of moisture, and she chokes out an apology for the display of weakness.

It's no problem, you rasp out of your strangely dry throat after a moment, because Naruto cried too, you think, when he visited.

You can't remember completely, to be honest, but it seems like the right thing to say to the clearly distressed female. Assuring her she wasn't alone, and all. The look on Sakura's face is anything but comforted, though- instead she looked livid, and if it weren't for the ANBU guards outside that he was suddenly very thankful for, you suppose she might've killed you herself right then and there. She opens her mouth-

........

It's before dawn on the day of your execution when Naruto walks in, with a face for the occasion. He barely gets halfway across the room and half a greeting choked out before you sit up for the first time in days, anger ridden throughout your face.

"Sakura was in here," you spit out past your chapped lips, and the look on Naruto's face switches to a shocked and then worried expression that almost satisfies you. "She _told_ me."

The dobe only looks mildly apologetic now, and it pisses you off- you find yourself screaming now, the fucking ANBU be damned. When the _fuck_ was he going to tell you?! What was he playing at, keeping it secret- did he think it was funny or something, fooling the last Uchiha in his final fucking days?! Was he ever going to tell you what was up or were you going to die thinking- why, how the fuck was Naruto even _there_?!

And then you realize you're crying, but you can't stop the words from tumbling out of your mouth, even at the hollow expression on Naruto's stupid face. "It was my fucking fault and you weren't even- god _damnit_ Naruto, why?! Why would you fucking keep that from me?!"

He gives you a broken smile. "Didn't see a reason to tell you, really," he murmurs dejectedly, and you want to punch him _so badly_ but your gut tells you not to, so you keep to glaring piercing daggers past your way too heavy eyelids. Why the fuck are you crying even, anyways- it was Naruto of all people, and you were so beyond that sort of shit anyways, he hadn't been your friend in years-

"So what, then? I'm crazy?" escapes you before you can censor yourself, prompting a horribly offensive snort from your former teammate.

"Besides the amount of crazy you already were, I don't think so, _teme_."

........

You're quietly executed at noon that day, but you find yourself strangely at peace as the Hokage approaches you, her palm glowing with the chakra that will sever your nerve connections. After all, there's plenty of people waiting for you on the other side.

Sakura delivers flowers to both Naruto's and your grave the next day.

........................

A/N: the title refers to both naruto's appearances and the period of mourning following death.


End file.
